A daily series, Connect! Unite! Act! seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups regularly socialize but also get out the vote, support candidates and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers-that-be. Visit us at Daily Kos every morning at 7:30 A.M. Pacific Time to see how you can get involved. The comment thread is fun and light-hearted, but we're serious about moving the progressive political agenda forward.
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The orange pinpoints are the location of each organized group of Daily Kos readers.
If you'd like to join a group, click on a point and a box will pop up showing contact links.
If you'd like to start a group, contact navajo for instructions.
View Interactive Map of Daily Kos Regional Communities in a full screen version.
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TGIF - Thank Groot it's Friday!
What's YOUR Dream for America?
People often talk about, discuss and write personal journals about their dreams for their own life, or that of their children. Most of us do it, at one time or another. We wax eloquent about our five year plan and how 'on track' we are to our next goal. We join groups or clubs to work on some aspect of our life or character. Each one of these actions is another step on the journey of our life, another chapter in the book of "Me".
But what about those of us who dream bigger than just ourselves? Have you ever had a Dream for America, for the whole nation and for a significant portion of time into the future? I have. Here's what it looks like:
US political history, first half of the 21st Century
In the year 2015, the Democratic Party stopped trying to emulate the Republican Party, and let go of the neoLiberal conservative Blue Dog caucus and their failing political strategies. They quit trying to find common ground with moderate Republicans in the Congress, because the Republicans were not looking for common ground. They were looking to squash the Democratic Party so hard that it would take 20 years to peel themselves up off the concrete and get back in the game.
So the Democrats decided to try something different, and it started with a group of loud, Liberal progressives from a blog called Daily Kos. They organized members of their site to run for the US Congress in 2016 in every one of the 435 Congressional Districts and at-large Seats in the US House. They didn't all win, of course, but some of them did. An astonishing number of them won. Some of them in places where it was supposed to be impossible for a Democrat, much less a Liberal progressive Democrat to win. The truth is, enough of them made enough of a media splash that it drove the Turnout of the entire Base of the Democratic Party high enough to put a revitalized Progressive Caucus into the Majority in both Houses, much like the 2014 cycle had installed a Republican Majority in both Houses.
In this election however, the new Democratic Majority Leader in the US Senate opened the 115th US Congress with a bombshell. She pushed through significant Senate Rules changes on Day one, rewriting entire sections of the Senate Rules, beginning with Senate Rule 22 - the Cloture Vote rule was erased and left in it's place were written rules (for the first time ever) governing Filibusters and requiring actual Speaking Filibusters on the Floor of the Senate and no alternate path for Legislature to bypass the Floor during a Filibuster. Which meant the Filibuster became a seldom used tool, as it put the entire business of the Senate on Hold when it happened and the Senator filibustering became a target for the public to blame for the Obstruction it caused.
The two election cycles which followed continued to decimate the ability of the Republican Party to force it's ever shrinking Base's ideology upon the vast majority of the American people. The decade that followed them saw an irreversible shift in the Republican Party to the left and away from the early 21st century ultra-conservative ideology; based mostly on the shift in the makeup of the Supreme Court after three successive Democratic Presidencies altered the Court's 5-4 majority lead by Chief Justice John Roberts, which lead to reversals of a variety of early 21st century SCOTUS findings, including the Citizens United vs F.E.C. case which flooded the US political campaign scene with anonymous money mostly from wealthy conservatives pushing Republican candidates.
By 2030 most of the damage done to US States by recalcitrant GOP Governors and majority Republican Statehouses had been reversed, too. Leading the way was the Badger State, Wisconsin, where in late 2015 the indictments against re-elected GOP Governor Scott Walker brought his Administration down in the biggest State level scandal since Democratic Gov of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for Corruption charges in 2011.
In 2040, the surprise winner of the presidential race, a little known, relatively young man with a mixed heritage and a husband, who campaigned on strictly Liberal and Progressive issues, won handily and then led the United States for the longest peacetime era in US history. His second Administration was so popular, they repealed the 22nd Amendment so that he could run and win a total of five terms. A record which has never been matched again, in over 200 years.
Yes, it's just a dream, but it's a big dream. It's
my dream. I'm hoping to make that very first part of it
a reality, because in 2016
I will be running for the US House in (WA-03) and I'm going to be looking for 434 hardy souls here at Daily Kos to join me on this (perhaps) quixotic quest over the coming months and into the spring of 2015. If any of you think my dream is one worth striving to bring to fruition, then
strap yourself in and toss YOUR hat in the ring and join me.
We could, quite literally, become the start of something extraordinary...
As always -
#StrongerTogether for a better future for OUR posterity |
Latest Updates on Regional Meet-Up News Can Be Found Below the Orange Group Hug.
Southwest Ohio Kossacks are organizing now. Please kosmail akadjian to receive an invite to join the group. There's lots to do in Ohio and we need YOU to reach our political goals. Also, please direct any commenters or diarists you encounter from Cincinnati or Dayton at Daily Kos to join this group. Thanks!
PRETTY COOL UPDATE: Since akadjian and I reached out on 11/20/14 to call for members to Southwest Ohio Kossacks, we went from zero to 14! Twelve of those were in two days after our CUA headline campaign for them. Here they are:
akadjian, Virally Suppressed, wild hair, ManfromMiddletown, Don midwest, BlueInRedCincy, Smiths, CarolDuhart, drshatterhand, calebfaux, Rox Girl, dg1532, darkrogue and
DaytonMike. Wow. Let's get cookin' in the Cincinnati and Dayton area! We got stuff to do!
Let's Build Communities!
Our team is here to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events.
We invite you to join in this effort to build our community. There are many ways to pitch in.
If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
List of All Existing Meatspace Groups
Where the Kogs Are: Index/Directory of the 130+ Localized Daily Kos Groups
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
by Thinking Fella ♥ for Four Corners Kossacks
On Saturday, November 8th, 2014, the Four Corners Kossacks met to have a beverage or two, lament our electoral losses, cheer our wins, get updates on races still ongoing, listen to past local election history, learn more about each other, and plot our future strategies.
L-R: Thinking Fella, Matt S., (McLachlan campaign manager) red moon dog, nzanne, Gary Norton, Wally White, (termed-out former La Plata County Commissioner & long-time Dailykos lurker) and Jeff H.
Please visit Thinking Fella's diary for more photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Four Corners Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to Thinking Fella.
by John Crapper ♥ for Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks
Four days after the mid-term elections Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks had lunch with Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, WA 34th, Chair of the Environment Committee and serving on the Finance, Transportation and Local Government Committees.
Special thanks goes to bleeding blue for making this all possible!
Invited attendees: Marcee Stone-Vegich - Chair of the 34th LD & Ted Barker Vice Chair, Robin Everett - Washington State's Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Coordinator and Mary Manous with Weldon DeBusk both on the development team creating the Cascadia Climate Action Calendar which compiles monthly the events and actions of all major environmental groups in the Puget Sound Area.
My take-away as leader of Seattle & Puget Sound Kossacks from this meeting. Political reality can't be changed. We must deal with it as best we can. We must also support those fighting for climate sanity as best we can. But when it comes to climate change we cannot afford to wait on politics to be "right" to get something done. We can't afford to just chip away at the edges. We need to pursue the most effective path possible to make climate sanity a reality. Under current circumstances politics may not be that path in the next two years in Washington State.
Instead it will be the Climate Action Hub. And in my neck of the woods it will be promoting the Cascadia Climate Calendar and urging people to get involved.
Please visit
John Crapper's diary for more photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join
Seattle and Puget Sound Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to
John Crapper.
by cooper888 ♥ for Sacramento Kossacks
We heard from navajo and Meteor Blades about the initiative by Daily Kos to have active Kossack groups in each of the state capitals. DK is looking for engaged Kossack's ready to roll up their sleeves and participate in many different types of activism/advocacy. For example, delivering petitions to the state capitol, participating in various protests, marches, rally's at the capitol, etc. As Meteor Blades pointed out this won't happen over night and is a long term strategy but I think if we all take the lead in our respective states we can make this dream happen sooner than DK leadership expects.
L-R: Front row: Sychotic1, tgypsy, tb92, trevizolga, Mrs. side pocket. Second row: Arundsdel (sp?), Laurel in CA, Kestrel, Meteor Blades. Third row: Kestrel's two friends, smileycreek, paradise50, Dave. Back row: Clif, Mr. Arundsdel, Neil, cooper888, side pocket, Left foot forward, got mooned & Nate
Please visit cooper888's diary for many MORE photos! Enjoy! You can still REC it. You can join Sacramento Kossacks by sending a Kosmail to cooper888.
Event Organizers! Please contact wink from Netrootsradio.com by KosMail to schedule airtime with them to live broadcast the date of your Event. Wink & Justice will then promote it on The After Show radio program!
Tuesday, December 2nd
Maryland Kos Post-election Meet-up
TIME: 6:30 PM
LOCATION: Sabatino's
901 Fawn Street • Baltimore
ORGANIZER: Send Navy Vet Terp a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Navy Vet Terp
2. vschultzvidal
3. mimi
4. rb608
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Maybees: |
Latest diary: Maryland Kos Meetup - Baltimore Subgroup
Saturday, December 6th
Houston Area Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Cafe Express
3800 Southwest Freeway • Houston
ORGANIZER: Send [organizer's linked user name] a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Chrislove
2. nomandates
3. cosette
4. scott5js
5. Blood
6.
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Maybees:
Mr. cosette
MarciaJ720
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Latest diary: Houston Area Kossacks: RSVP for our December 6 meet-up!
Saturday, December 6th
Four Corner Kossacks Ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
This train is extra special. Not only are the cars over 100 years old, the coal-fired steam locomotive pulling us up the mountain was built in the early 1920's. We'll be riding in the "Cinco Animas" car (built in 1883), which, as would be expected for Kossacks--is a Presidential Class car. See diary for many more details.
TIME: 9:15 AM
LOCATION: Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
479 Main Ave • Durango
ORGANIZER: Send Thinking Fella a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Thinking Fella
2. HeroMachine
3. LucyTooners
4. Mr. LucyTooners
5. unfangus
6. Mrs. unfangus
7. Darcy
8. Kim
9. Nan
10. Allison M.
11. Tom M.
12. ERRN
13. ERRN's guest
14. ⇐Cinco Animas car filled
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Maybees:
Gary Norton
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Latest diary: EPIC Four Corners Kossacks Meet-up: Gonna Ride the D&SNGR Presidential Car to 9000' Elevation!
Wednesday, December 10th
Kansas Kossacks Meet-up Focused on Johnton County, What's Next?
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Overland Park Doubletree Hotel
10100 College Boulevard • Overland Park
ORGANIZER: Send tmservo433 a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. tmservo433
2.
3.
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Maybees:
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Thursday, December 11th
Kansas Kossacks Meet-up Focused on McPherson County, What's Next?
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Senior Center (location may change)
116 S Main St • Lindsborg
ORGANIZER: Send tmservo433 a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. tmservo433
2.
3.
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Maybees:
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Latest diary: Connect! Unite! Act! Meeting in Wichita, KS November 24
Saturday, December 6th
Colorado COmmunity Meet-up with Caffeinating Liberally
TIME: 9:00 AM
LOCATION: Common Grounds
44th & Vallejo • Denver
ORGANIZER: Send Leftcandid a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Leftcandid
2.
3.
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Maybees:
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Wednesday, December 10th
Colorado COmmunity Meet-up with Drinking Liberally
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Three Dogs Tavern
32nd & Julian • Denver
ORGANIZER: Send Leftcandid a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. Leftcandid
2.
3.
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Maybees:
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Latest diary: DENVER: Caffeinating & Drinking Liberally, December Editions COming Right Up!
Saturday, December 13th
SF Kossacks Holiday Party at Daily Kos HQ
The usual Pot Luck drill
TIME: 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Daily Kos HQ
Address given privately by kosmail • Berkeley
Near Ashby BART
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to attend
- POTLUCK SIGNUP -
HQ will be providing the main course of our buffet:
• White bean sausage cassoulet
• Marinated chicken skewers
Vegetarian options:
• Butternut squash with farro, parmesan, spinach and onion
• Ratatouille with polenta squares
Please volunteer for beverages, side dishes & desserts needed below.
Beverages:
20 bottles of wine [15 complete (navajo, smileycreek, enhydra lutris, glescagal, side pocket)]
16 six-packs of beer [6 complete (paradise50, 714day, side pocket)]
8 six-packs soft drinks [8 complete (linkage)]
4 six-packs non-corn syrup soft drinks [0 complete]
4 six-packs diet drinks [0 complete]
6 six-packs bottles of water [1 complete (sfbob)]
Appetizers:
8 appetizers, anything goes here. Whatcha' got? [3 complete (jforests, boatsie, side pocket)]
Side Dishes:
6 green salads needed, each to feed 10 [4 complete (jforests, Lorikeet, ceebee7, remembrance)]
4 (10-12 pcs) dinner roll sets, plus butter cubes [0 complete]
Desserts:
6 hand-held desserts (dozen each) [4 complete (syd, norm, gmats, jpmassar)]
70 paper plates [jakedog42 & susans]
70 dessert plates [jakedog42 & susans]
70 appetizer plates [jakedog42 & susans]
140 cocktail napkins [jakedog42 & susans]
70 dinner napkins [jakedog42 & susans]
100 plastic forks [jakedog42 & susans]
70 plastic knives [jakedog42 & susans]
100 clear plastic beverage cups [jakedog42 & susans]
RSVPs:
1. Markos
2. Will Rockafellow
3. Susan Gardner
4. Meteor Blades
5. Faith Gardner & Roxie!
6. navajo - 4 bottles red wine
7. side pocket - 2 6-pks beer, 2 bottles of wine, pesto-stuffed mushrooms
8. Mrs. side pocket
9. smileycreek - 1 bottle red, 1 white wine
10. paradise50 - 1 six-pack beer
11. remembrance - gobi aloo, vegetarian
12. Glen The Plumber - apparently, nothing...
13. TLO
14. jakedog42* - plates, cups, napkins & utensils
15. edrie
16. dharmasyd* - brownies
17. catilinus
18. boatsie - Cowgirl Creamery cheeses & crackers
19. liberated spaces
20. citisven
21. kimoconnor
22. susans* - plates, cups, napkins & utensils
23. maggiejean
24. 714day* - 3 six packs of beer
25. Steven Payne
26. scaboni
27. skywriter
28. jpmassar - dessert
29. jotter
30. aha aha
31. jeremybloom
32. norm* - sugar-free cake
33. Lorikeet* - vege salad
34. cooper888
35. got mooned
36. Hunter
37. elfling
38. Cassia
39. Friend of elfling
40. Friend of elfling
41. Friend of elfling
42. Friend of elfling
43. tmservo433
44. Simplify
45. jforests* - greek salad, cheese ball appetizer/crackers
46. jforests SO and baby girl
47. Brian82
48. ceebee7* - green salad
49. Elisa +Ari & Eli
50. jglass
51. jglass's wife + 2 sons (6,9)
52. Walter + toddler
53. Denise
54. Denise's teen
55. Michaela
56. enhydra lutris - 3 bottles wine
57. enhydra lutris's SO
58. Bonnie
59. gmats* - brownies/cookies
60. linkage - soft drinks
61. sfbob - bottled water
Maybees:
Thinking Fella
LaughingPlanet
Mark
*address given
Sunday, December 28th
Koscadia Meet-up with navajo & Pipe Ceremony with Ojibwa to Bless Quilts
TIME: 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Private home
[Kosmail Sara R for the address] • Portland
ORGANIZER: Send Sara R to attend
RSVPs:
1. navajo
2. Ojibwa
3. Sara R
4. winglion
5. Angie in WA State
6. loggersbrat
7. llbear
8. Drewid
9. also mom of 5
10. watercarrier4diogenes
11. ozsea1
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Maybees:
exlrrp
quill
pdxteacher
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Latest diary: Koscadia Meet Up 12/28 -- special guests navajo and Ojibwa
Saturday & Sunday, January 17-18, 2015
Dkos Asheville 24-hour Meet-up
This is what community is about; sharing, giving, creating together. And this is what being a progressive is about; working for social, economic, and environmental justice.
Each day we start from where we are now; and we move forward from here. -davehouck
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...we have built ourselves a network of like minded brothers and sisters who are in this fight for life. A place we can come to find inspiration, power, solace and community.
-randallt |
TIME: 1:00 pm Saturday till 1:00 pm Sunday
LOCATION: Crown Plaza Resort Asheville
One Resort Drive • Asheville
ORGANIZER: Send randallt a kosmail to attend
RSVPs:
1. randallt
2. davehouck
3. Joieau
4. Gordon20024
5. SteelerGrrl
6. SteelerGuy
7. LamontCranston
8. Otteray Scribe
9.
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Maybees:
Joy of Fishes
IamGumby
smiley7
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Latest diary: DKos Asheville: Open Thread
navajo maintains the above event list. Kosmail her if you have any diaries
about your event or if you have changes or additions.
EVERYONE is welcome, tell us what you're working on,
share your show and tell, vent, whatever you want.
This is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.